Microplastics contamination in commercial marine fish from the Bay of Bengal

This study investigated the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in commercial fish species from the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Bangladesh. The gastrointestinal tracts of 100 individuals from 10 species of commercial marine fish were examined for microplastics. Microplastics were detected in all species. A total of 215 microplastics were recovered with an average abundance in the range of 2.2 +/- 0.89 microplastics per individual. Five types of microplastics were found: fibers, films, fragments, foams, and granules, which accounted for 53.4%, 40%, 3.3%, 1.9%, and 1.4% of the total, respectively. Among the identified microplastics, green (39%) was the most dominant color, and < 500 mu m (85%) size was the most dominant. Polymers were polyethylene (55%), polypropylene (33%), polyester (6%), polyurethane (2%), ethylene propylene diene monomer (2%), and styrene butadiene rubber (2%). The study results show the common incident of microplastics in fish and open the way for further studies to better explain factors influencing the occurrence of microplastics in fish in the Bay of Bengal and risk assessment. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated the presence and characteristics of microplastics in commercial fish species from the Bay of Bengal, finding that all species were affected, green was the dominant color, and the majority of microplastics were smaller than 500 μm, with polyethylene and polypropylene being the main polymers detected.